Renteria's introduction echoes past

New Cubs manager says right things and projects confident vision he will get job done

December 05, 2013|By Paul Sullivan, Tribune reporter

Whenever a new Cubs manager is introduced in the party room in the right field corner of Wrigley Field, the distinctive sound of the Red Line elevated train coming to a stop momentarily can drown out his words of wisdom.

And when that manager exits a few years later and another introductory news conference begins, the feeling of deja vu is palpable, right down to the screeching brakes of the "L."

And so it was Thursday at Wrigley when Rick Renteria's turn finally came around after a month-long delay because of his doctor's orders not to fly after recent hip surgery.

Renteria was the sixth Cubs manager to face the media in the United Club since 1999. And like Don Baylor, Dusty Baker, Lou Piniella, Mike Quade and Dale Sveum before him, he smiled from ear to ear, said all the right things and projected the vision of a man utterly confident he would get the job done.

"I was just struck by how comfortable I was watching him," President Theo Epstein said. "Normally when you hire someone new and he meets the media for the first time, you're kind of holding your breath he doesn't put his foot in his mouth.

"We've worked with Ricky for a month now, and I was totally comfortable and checking emails while he was talking because I feel already an innate trust in who he is as a human being. Everything comes from such a genuine place. He's extremely intelligent and relates to people really well. So it's nice to really trust somebody in that role."

For one reason or another, no Cubs manager ever has managed to win a World Series at Wrigley Field, the team's home since 1916, eight years after their last championship.

Renteria believes he can be the first. He donned his Cubs jersey for the TV cameras and photographers like every recent manager before him, but then did something completely different.

Instead of sitting behind a table, talking into a microphone while seated next to his new bosses, Renteria simply stood by himself and casually answered questions as though he was just talking in the dugout. Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer stood in the back, out of view.

The plan played to Renteria's strengths as a speaker. Fortunately, he wasn't asked a single question about a goat, a rarity at these things.

Renteria's first day at Wrigley was in stark contrast to the afternoon Jim Lefebvre was introduced as Jim Essian's replacement 21 years ago.

Lefebvre read from a four-page, prepared speech he had written in longhand. Tribune columnist Jerome Holtzman later referred to the long-winded oratory as Lefebvre's "inaugural address," and the manager explained: "I wanted to be sure I didn't miss anything."

But none of his plans worked, and Lefebvre, like Sveum, was destined for a cameo appearance on the North Side. He eventually went ballistic over the team's sloppy play and was replaced in 1993 by a cerebral former school teacher, Tom Trebelhorn.

Asked at his first news conference how he would deal with players' mistakes, Trebelhorn replied: "There will be immediate discussion, confrontation, explanation. … If (a mistake) happens, a coach will take the player into the video room and, without showing him up, point out his mistake to him."

Fast-forward to Thursday, when Renteria told the media he would be "even-keeled" at the helm.

Does he have a temper? And if so, will we ever see it?

"Oh, I can get hot," he said. "Any competitor can get hot. You have to pick your spots. I don't think players, quite frankly, appreciate people just losing it for the sake of losing it. Will I do it for the sake of people watching me do it? You may not see me do it at all, but I can't guarantee that.

"When it happens, it has to be the right time. Those things take care of themselves. It's a 'feel' thing. Most players respond — if you're a guy who's pretty even-keeled and you end up losing it — they understand you mean business, and it means a little bit more. But for the most part, a lot of times conversations need to be had behind closed doors."